Fruitful
As I was preparing to speak about discipleship I began writing out my “discipleship journey.” The people and times that really highlight Jesus and discipleship in my life. I began praying for God to give me a word for each woman. Something I could take and use as application through this testimony. When I think about her, she is passionate. When I think of her, she is faithful. She is consistent. She is honest. And when I think about her, she is trustworthy. These are all things I have learned from women so important to me and I believe we must be in order to disciple.
As I was praying and writing about one piece of this sweet journey who is so dear to my heart, “fruitful” came to mind. Not that I don’t agree or don’t know what this word means but I just thought “Fruitful? Really?” That’s almost like saying “to disciple you must disciple.” Isn’t discipleship producing fruit? I kind of dismissed the thought and came up with another word. Ready. She is always ready for what God has next. As good as ready is, God got me back for my wondering. How blessed I am that He did!
I walked beside her straight up in the harvest of her fruitfulness. I watched as her hard work, tireless prayers and trust in God showed off over and over. Women came together to pray from all denominations and we watched as walls were broken, forgiveness was offered and hearts were open to all God has planned for us as the body of Christ together. Through that continued hard work, tireless prayers and trust in God, He brought over 1,000 women together to experience Him. And over 40 women came to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. I watched believer after believer, young and old, hurting and praising, stood up claiming their defeats, their addictions, their hurts, their anger and giving it to God. I sat and watched as she led Bible study with women from all over her city, from all walks of life, in all different seasons. I saw her fruitfulness not just in my life but in so many other lives day after day after day.
Fruitful.
Not because of who she is, but because Who God is.
We don’t always get to see the fruit our life in Christ will bear but it is there. I have a picture in my mind of someone walking and every where they go they leave behind joy and light. Do you see it with me? Almost like they’re walking into a black and white scene and when they leave it’s color. We are blazing a trail. I feel like that’s how Jesus lived. He never left a place the same. He never left it unchanged. When we leave is it more or less like Jesus than before?
Earlier this year this same mentor shared with me “It isn’t how many seeds come from one apple, it is how many apples come from one seed” in preparation for a message she was teaching. I really didn’t get it for a long time. Even after she explained it and I heard it in her message. I actually used it in my message without actually completely getting it. But it was then where God taught me so much from it. There are about 4-5 seeds in an apple. Do you know how many apples come from one seed? Nobody does. One seed plants one tree that could bear fruit for decades producing millions of apples. So in your fruit, you might see some seeds you are able to plant, you might even see some fruit produce from those seeds. But you will never know how much fruit is producing from those seeds in a lifetime and even beyond your lifetime. With Jesus Christ, our fruit is endless because it is in Him. He waters it through the Holy Spirit, He allows us to water other fruit of seeds others have planted, He allows us to see others’ fruit as we are planting seeds and sometimes He allows us to see our own fruit as we continue watering it and watching it grow through discipleship.
Fruitful is a really cool thing.
I’m thankful that Jesus showed me through my mom mentor just how cool fruitful is.
Fruitfulness proves discipleship and fruitfulness glorifies our Father.
Disciples who make disciples.
“My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.” John 15:8
